Phoenix
by Yondaime Namikaze
Summary: Edward Elric, 12, died 3 years ago in a house fire along with his mother and father. The remaining brother, Alphonse Elric, now 14, grieves for the life of his brother because Ed did die, right? Full summary is a lot longer. I'll put in in sometime.
1. Prologue

**I got this idea from a discontinued Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction that was called "My Brother's Thief".**

**I really like this story ("Phoenix"), and that is why I'm passing it along. I hope that you like it as well.**

**This first chapter is kind of sad, and I feel that Al is a little OOC, but, in this case, I think that he should be.**

**Also, I used part of this idea in "A Different Side of Fullmetal."**

* * *

Prologue: Fire  
Grade Level: 3.5

Alphonse Elric, 11 years old, walked home from school with his friend, Winry Rockbell, 12 years old.

Winry was the same age as Al's brother, Edward. Edward didn't walk with them today, because he was "sick from school" today. Al knew that Ed was feigning illness, but their mother let Ed stay home anyway.

It was a warm March day, and the two preteens were glad that they didn't need to wear their jackets.

They had almost made it to Winry's house when Al noticed something unusual. "Winry, do you see that?" He pointed out to something in the distance.

Winry looked to where Al was pointing. "Smoke? Why is there smoke?"

Then, it donned on Al, and he took off running. Winry ran after him. "Al, what is it?"

Al answered without turning back, "I think that smoke is coming from my house."

When the two kids got to Al's house, they learned that Al's assumption was correct. The Elric house was on fire, and looked as though it had been burning for a while now. The house was almost unrecognizable now as the flames licked the walls.

Al, in disbelief, stared as the fire destroyed his home. "No," he whispered. Crying, he dropped to his knees. "Mom, Dad, Brother," he whispered.

Winry walked over and put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Al."

Al looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. "Winry, run to your house and get your parents to call the fire company. We can't just let this fire continue to burn."

"Okay, but don't go anywhere."

"Where would I go? I have nowhere to go…anymore," Al replied.

Winry's heart broke for her friend. She ran back to her house, praying that that they weren't too late.

Al sat there on his knees as he watched his house burn. **_How could this happen? How could I be a normal boy one moment and an orphan the next?_**

Al stood up. **_No, I don't have to live like that_**. He quickly located the front door. Not caring about the flames anymore, Al walked toward the door and his imminent death. "Alphonse!" He heard voices call his name, but he did not stop. He walked closer and closer to the beckoning door until two strong pairs of arms rooted him to the spot. "No, let me go!" Alphonse yelled.

"Alphonse Elric, stop!" said the male.

"Alphonse, please listen to us, okay?"

Al stopped fighting and looked up into the kind faces of Winry's parents.

"What if your parents and brother survived the fire?" asked Sara Rockbell, Winry's mother, in a kind voice. "They'd be sad if you died."

Al let Winry's parents lead him over to where Winry stood. "Stay here with Winry. The firefighters will be here soon. We'll handle everything."

Al stood beside Winry, and for once, neither had anything to say to the other. Winry didn't want to say the wrong thing and Al just didn't feel like talking to anybody.

They heard sirens in the distance, and a couple seconds later, two fire trucks pulled up in front of the burning house. The trucks stopped and the firefighters jumped out.

Following behind the fire trucks was one black car. The car stopped and two doors opened. Two adults, one man and one woman, both dressed in military uniforms, stepped out, shut the doors and walked over.

They walked over to Winry's parents. Pulling out their IDs, they proceeded to introduce themselves.

"Roy Mustang, Colonel," stated the black-haired male, who looked to be the superior of the two.

The female stepped up beside her superior. "Riza Hawkeye, Lieutenant."

Winry's dad stepped forward. "I'm Corey Rockbell and this is my wife Sara." Then, he gestured to the kids. "The girl is my daughter, Winry, and the boy is her friend, Alphonse Elric."

"Mr. Rockbell, do you know anything about this fire like how it got started or when it started?"

"I'm sorry, Colonel; I don't know anything about it, but the kids saw it first. They might know something."

Colonel Mustang kept a straight face as he told Corey, "Call them over here."

Winry's dad turned to the kids. "Winry, Alphonse, come over here please."

The kids jumped up and Winry led the way over to her parents. When they stood by Winry's parents, they noticed the two soldiers. The kids had never seen a soldier up close before so they grew nervous.

Roy noticed this. He kneeled down so that he could be face-to-face with the kids. With a kind smile, Roy spoke to them, "It's okay, you don't have to be nervous. I just want to know if you two know anything about the fire."

Winry spoke up first. "We didn't even know about it until after school today. Did you notice anything weird this morning, Al?"

Al shook his head.

Roy looked over at the boy. The Colonel noticed the young boy's tear-stained face. "Is this your house?" Roy asked, calmly. At Al's nod, Roy turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Rockbell. "You may leave now. We've almost gotten the fire put out. Once that's finished, we'll search for survivors. I'll contact you later with our results."

Mr. Rockbell nodded. "Very well then." He shook Roy's hand. "Thank you Colonel." He turned to the kids. "Winry, Alphonse, we're leaving."

Winry and Al followed Winry's parents to the Rockbell house. After they got home and were settled in, Winry's mother turned to the kids. "I'm going to make dinner. Winry, can you show Alphonse to the room where he will be sleeping?"

"Sure, Mom," Winry replied. The girl turned to her friend. "Come on, Al," she commanded to him.

Al followed, without a word, as Winry led him to the guest bedroom. "This will be your bedroom if you have to stay here, Al," Winry explained to her friend.

Al, still not saying anything, sat down on the bed. It was obvious that he wanted to cry, but every time he tried, he remembered what his brother used to say. "Boys never cry, Al. No matter what happens," Ed had told Al one afternoon when the younger had skinned his knee. That had happened five years ago.

Sometime while Al was reminiscing that moment, Winry had come over and placed a hand on Al's shoulder. Al felt the weight on his shoulder and his muscles stiffened, a gasp escaping from his lips.

"It's okay to cry, Al. You won't look weak, I promise. Believe me, you'll feel better if you just let your emotions show." Winry, knowing how much of an influence Edward had on his younger brother, understood why Alphonse refused to cry. "I'll come back to get you when dinner's ready."

After Winry left, Al buried his head in the pillow on the bed and cried.

Dinner that night was silent. None of the Rockbells wanted to risk upsetting Al anymore and Al was practically mute from the shock.

The first noise at dinner was the ringing of the phone. Corey Rockbell, stood up and walked over to the phone. After looking at the caller ID, he picked up. "Rockbell house."

After a pause, he said, "Yes, this is."

Another pause. "Oh, I see. Thank you."

Mr. Rockbell hung up and walked back over to the dinner table.

Mrs. Rockbell understood from her husband's behavior and she could almost guess what had been said on the phone conversation.

Together, the adults made a silent decision. They knew what the Colonel's search had found. Silently, they decided to keep quiet about it, but young Winry broke the decision.

"Was that the Colonel? What'd he say? Did they find Al parents and brother?" Winry blurted out without thinking.

"I don't think that we should…"

"No," Al interrupted, "please say it. I'd rather die knowing than live not knowing."

Mr. Rockbell exhaled. "As you wish, Alphonse." He paused to make sure that Alphonse wouldn't change his mind. The boy's facial features didn't change, so Mr. Rockbell continued, "Yes that was the Colonel." Another pause. "It's too late. The fire has been deemed to have no survivors. I'm so sorry, Alphonse."

Al, who was only half finished with his dinner, picked up his fork and used it to push his food around on his plate. "Thanks for telling me. I appreciate knowing." Al spoke monotonously.

The room was silent. The only sound was the sound of Al's fork scraping along his plate. Eventually, the boy grew tired of this. He pushed his chair back and he stood up. "I'm sorry, but I'm really not hungry anymore," Al, in his monotone voice, told the family. "I'm going to bed."

Al left the dining room without clearing his plate from the table. He went to the bedroom that Winry had showed him to earlier. Once there, he plopped down on the bed.

After staying that way for a minute or so, the boy turned over and stared up at the ceiling. From the bed, he could see out of the nearby window. The sun was setting and the normally blue sky had taken on a red-orange hue. **_The color of the fire_**, Al told himself. The red-orange sky was also full of haze. **_Probably from all the smoke_**, Al thought.

As Al stared at the sky, he asked himself a question that he'd wondered about a few hours ago. **_How could I be a normal boy one moment and an orphan the next?_**


	2. Suicide Attempt

**It's taken me a while, but I've finally finished it. I'm sorry if it's really dark and stuff. I really am an Al fan, but it's so easy to torture him.**

**I'm so sorry for the delay. I intended to put this up before I went on vacation. I had it all typed up and everything, but then my computer broke (again).**

**Good note: I started writing chapter 3. I'll get it up as soon as I'm done, but it's still going to be awhile.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Suicide Attempt  
Grade Level: 4.4

Although he tried to not let it bother him, even Alphonse Elric had to admit that the fire had forever changed him. He had been an energetic young boy, but that boy was gone. In his place, was a grief-stricken teen.

Three years after the fire, Alphonse, of course, hadn't forgotten about it, but he tried not to let it bother him as much.

Alphonse looked a lot different now than he did three years ago. He'd started to wear all black clothing **(AN: Think CoS but minus the long hair right now) **and he'd thinned down a lot, because he didn't eat as much anymore.

Al still lived at Winry's house, because, like it or not, he was still an orphan.

Currently, he sat on his bed, the same bed that he'd slept in for three years. The teenager rolled up his black sleeve and exposed his left wrist.

Quickly, he picked up something from beside him. The shiny silver glinted in the sunlight. The object was a chef's knife. Winry's parents, who were skilled with metal and medicine, had crafted the knife.

Al knew that Winry would hate him for giving up, but he wasn't strong. That was always Edward's job. "I'm sorry," Al whispered to no one, "but I can't forget my family. I'm sorry, Winry." He lowered his right hands down toward his wrist.

…POV CHANGE…SETTING CHANGE…WINRY ROCKBELL…KITCHEN…

Winry Rockbell, now 15, had made lunch for the two teens. Her parents, who ran a family medical practice in the outskirts of Central, were working.

Winry, who had never been Amestris's best cook, was extremely proud of this afternoon's meal. **_I hope that Al likes it._**

Knowing that Al liked to stay upstairs in his bedroom, Winry climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway to Al's bedroom.

At Al's bedroom door, Winry knocked quickly. There was no answer, but Winry walked in anyway. Inside the bedroom, she was horrified to notice Al holding a knife near his wrist.

Winry quickly ran to her best friend, whom she now considered to be the little brother that she biologically didn't have, and tried to pry the knife from his right hand. "Alphonse Daniel Elric, what the hell are you doing?"

Al struggled against his friend, but he hated to admit that he wasn't as strong as she was. "You don't understand, Winry! You don't know what it's like to lose everything!"

Winry pulled on the handle of the knife again. "If you did this, then I'd know. You're like a younger brother to me, and I don't want to lose you!"

Winry's words shocked Al. He accidentally stopped struggling and Winry pulled the knife from his hand.

"See isn't that better?" She paused. "Look, Al, I'm going to have to tell Mom and Dad about this." She paused while she remembered something. "Wait a minute. I thought that you had stopped doing that."

This suicide attempt wasn't the first time that Alphonse Elric had tried to take his life. Over the three years that he'd lived with the Rockbells, Al had attempted suicide several times; mostly, though, he'd only tried during his first couple years living with the Rockbells.

He'd started out small and he tended to vary his methods. Winry would never forget the first time that she saw Al attempt suicide. They were in school and Winry was staring at Edward's empty desk. Then, she looked over to Al and noticed that he had a lead pencil near his wrist**_. He's going to stick the lead in his artery_**, Winry knew.

"Al!" She ran over to his desk and grabbed the pencil. This disturbed the class.

"Winry Rockbell, do you have something that you would like to share with the rest of class?" the teacher asked her in a "pissed-off" voice.

"Al was trying to kill himself, Sensei!"

"Sure, he was," the teacher replied sarcastically. "Now, go back to your seat."

"I'm not kidding, Sensei. He was going to stick that pencil into the artery in his wrist!"

"Right, whatever," the teacher replied in her still-sarcastic voice. "Both of you can settle this matter after school today while you're clapping erasers."

After school that day, while Winry and Al clapped erasers, Winry asked Al, "Why were you going to do that, Al?"

Al, who was already close to tears, just looked down and concentrated on the pair of erasers he was currently clapping. He remained silent.

Winry hated seeing her friend trying to take his life. She hated it back then and she hated it now. "Al, you have to move on. I don't want you to ever forget your family, but I don't want you to keep trying to kill yourself either."

After placing the knife on a nearby stand and reminding herself to take it back downstairs later, Winry walked over to Al's bed and sat down in front of him.

Gently, she placed her arms around him and pulled him close, hugging him. "Don't forget that I knew Edward too," she whispered. "He wasn't my brother, but he was one of my closest friends. Please be strong, Al, for me…and for Ed."

Al gently hugged back and he closed his eyes. "I will Winry. I promise."

* * *

**I really like how this chapter turned out.**

**Tomorrow, I'm going to be leaving to visit my relatives and I won't be back until Monday. I will have my cell phone on that trip, but I can't update stories from my cell phone, so the earliest that I can put up new chapters is Tuesday.**

**Since I handwrite this story first, I will be taking the notebook with this story in it so that, in my spare time, I might be able to write more of it.**

**Hope that ya'll liked this chapter. It's one of my favorites.**


	3. Almost Unrecognizable

**Well, it took me a while to write this, but I'm now ready to continue this story. Also, after the chapter, I have an important note, so make sure to read it.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Almost Unrecognizable  
Grade Level: 4.2

One afternoon, Winry and Al decided to go into Central. Winry's parents were working, so the teens took the train in.

Once in Central, the first place they came to was the Central City Public Library. They decided to go in because it was a hot day and the air-conditioning in the building felt nice.

In the library, Winry headed to the section of books about mechanics and Al headed to the section of books about alchemy.

When it came time to leave, Winry found Al sitting in a chair near the alchemy section. The boy was contently reading another alchemy book. **_He looks just like Ed._**

"Al," Winry whispered. The boy, slightly startled, jumped and looked up. "It's time to go now, Al."

"I want to check out this book," Al told her as he stood up and stretched his legs.

Winry smiled. "Sure, Al. I brought our library cards."

Winry handed Al his card and Al headed to the desk. At the desk, Al handed the nice, old woman his card and then he placed the alchemy book on the counter.

The woman scanned Al's card and analyzed Al's picture when it came up on her screen. She looked back and forth between Al and his picture a couple of times. "Alphonse Elric?" she asked, trying to settle the discrepancy.

Al nodded. "Yeah?" he replied back, unsure of why the woman was questioning his library card.

The woman saw this and she smiled. "Oh, don't worry so much about it. You've just changed a lot, that's all."

Al looked down at his black clothes that he wore everyday. "Yeah, I guess."

"No, no. I mean your hair. It's longer now."

Al's hand immediately went to the back of his head and swiped at the ends of his shaggy hair. "Yeah, I've been meaning to get it cut, but I might not. I'm starting to like it long."

The woman picked up Al's book and scanned the checkout code into the computer. "Just one book for you today, Al?"

"Yeah, that's all that I need."

The woman looked at the title of Al's chosen book and smiled. "Still into alchemy, I see? You truly are Edward's shadow."

Al threw the woman a questioning look. "How do you…did you know my brother…and me?"

"Well, I guess that it has been a while and you were young, so allow me to reintroduce myself. Hi, I'm Shirley Jones. Can I help you?"

Al's face brightened. "Oh, Mrs. Jones! I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you."

"That's quite alright, Al. I understand. It has been a while since you've been here."

Trisha Elric used to take her songs to Central Public Library because they would wait for Hohenheim, who was a State Alchemist stationed in Central, to finish up his work.

Mrs. Jones was the mother of Ed's and Al's grade school teacher. Sometimes, when the young Elric boys would procrastinate on a project, they'd travel to the library because they'd know that Mrs. Jones would help them to achieve a passing grade.

Mrs. Jones handed Al his alchemy book and his library card. "I hope to see you again sometime soon, Alphonse Elric."

Al picked up his things, said good-bye to Mrs. Jones and walked back to Winry.

Mrs. Jones watched Al leave, and a sad expression stumbled onto her face. One of the newer aides, Scheizka, noticed this and walked over.

"Isn't that the Elric boy? The only survivor?"

Mrs. Jones nodded. "Yes, that's him."

After the fire, Alphonse Elric had quickly risen from a "nobody" to a "somebody". Everybody in the areas surrounding Risembool knew his name and his face.

This "fame" wasn't entirely credited to the fire. His father, Hohenheim Elric, or "The Time-Bending Alchemist" as he was called in the military, was one of the most famous alchemists out there. Everyone who knew the Elrics or seen the small family was sure that Edward Elric would follow in and, maybe even, surpass his father.

"You didn't give him any condolences?" Scheizka asked, confused.

"No, I didn't. The fire happened three years ago. Most people will have moved on by then." Mrs. Jones looked out to Al as he laughed at something Winry said. "Besides, I believe that even though a significant piece of him was lost that night, he will soon find another significant piece of himself. In fact, I feel that he has already started to find it."

* * *

**So, that's the chapter. I added in a little bit of detail about Al's family and life previous to the fire. Obviously, this story is going to be semi AU. Hope that's not too much of a problem. Anyway, I kind of like how this chapter turned out.**

**Also, I'm having a slight dilemma about the next chapter. I want to add in a bonus chapter, but I don't know if I should cut it and put it on at the end, kind of like a deleted scene, or if I should just put it in now.**

**If anyone has any thoughts on that, feel free to let me know by review, PM, or email. I'm always open to suggestions.**


	4. Unexpected Guest

**I apologize for not updating this story in…over 4 years? Has it really been that long? Guess I should explain…well…I gave up writing for a long time, but not forever. Then, when I came back to it, I spent much time writing only original stories (because I hope to, one day, be a published fiction writer). I'm not as big an anime/manga fan as I used to be in high school (which reminds me that I was, apparently, a high school junior last time I updated this…damn). I still like anime/manga, but…I'm more into reading and writing in the books, cartoons, and movies genres here on the site now.**

**Before this gets long and sappy, I will say that…this is not a notice where I give up the story. This is an update and I do hope to get the next updates out soon, but I need to finish writing them first.**  
=================================================================================

Chapter 4: Unexpected Guest  
Grade Level: 5.2

That night, after they'd returned home from the library, Alphonse quickly retired to his room to continue reading his newly found alchemy book in peace.

He only stopped reading when Winry told him that he had to come eat dinner or she'd take out her wrath through her wrench.

Al obliged, but he took his book with him. As they ate, the only sound heard was Al occasionally flipping pages. Dinners had, oftentimes, been quiet since the fire.

It was quiet until dinner had all but ended. However, one certain turn of a page excited Al greatly. He jumped up quickly, letting his chair fall to the ground with a loud crash.

"Al," Winry whispered, shocked by the expression of emotion, something that he had not shown since the fire.

"This is it," Al whispered to himself. "This is it," he repeated, yelling with excited enthusiasm.

"What is it, Al?" Winry asked him.

"Human transmutation. That's the answer. I can bring my parents and Brother back through human transmutation!"

Angered, Winry snatched the book from Al's hands. She noticed his questioning gaze and told him, "I may not be an alchemist, but having grown up with you and Ed, I know enough about it. Human transmutation is prohibited; there are way too many risks!"

"You don't understand!" Al yelled back, frustrated by the lack of support for his brilliant ideas. "The book states that it isn't so much prohibited as it is enigmatic. The process of human transmutation has a low success rate because it has been attempted so few times."

"Why do you think it isn't regularly attempted, huh? If the average human alchemist could 'play God' don't you think that they would? If the process of human transmutation was truly capable, don't you think that it would be 'the talk of the town'?" Winry countered.

Al looked down at the ground; he knew that he had lost. "I…guess so."

Winry sighed, glad that the disagreement hadn't turned into a full-scale argument. "Now, don't think about that again. There was probably a reason the fire happened. Everything happens for a reason. Why don't you devote time to figuring out the reason instead of trying to rewrite the past?"

"I…guess," Al said as he grabbed his plate and silverware to deposit them into the sink on his way to his room for the night.

Winry's parents each gave their daughter a questioning look that clearly meant "What was that about and will he be okay?"

Giving her parents a soft, gentle smile, she told them, "He'll be okay. He just needs some time to think. That's just his person."

Al lay on the bed that he had called his since the fire. He wished that he had his alchemy book so that he could read it. Who was he kidding? Al didn't need to finish the book; he was confident that human transmutation was the answer that he had been seeking. If only he could just get that book back…

Turning his light off, Al pretended to be sleeping. **_Not out of the ordinary. They know that I usually sleep early._** As he lay in the cover of darkness, he listened intently to the activity throughout the house, waiting for everyone to go to bed.

Al, unaware that he had actually fallen asleep, woke a few hours later to silence. Perfect. He went to the bedroom door and opened it to peer out, finding total darkness; no lights whatsoever were on now. Perfect.

Backtracking slightly, he grabbed a small flashlight that he kept in his desk drawer for emergencies, turned it on, and quietly headed out into the darkness, shielding the flashlight beam slightly so that no one would be woken up.

Quietly he searched the house for the book. Winry couldn't have entirely hid it because it was a library book and there would be a fine to pay if it wasn't returned. The flashlight beam hit metallic reflectors that caught Al's attention. Turning the flashlight back, he noticed the gold letters of the book's spine. There it is!

In his excitement to, once again, possess the book, Al overlooked a small potted plant that stood in his path. The silence was shattered as Al tripped over the plan and landed hard on the ground. Immediately, he heard the sounds of light switches being clicked on and rapid footsteps. **_Damn, so much for stealth._**

There was no more time for logical thinking. Al was within seconds of being caught in action. However, his pride, a characterization that made him like Ed, refused to lose. Grabbing the book, Al ran to the front door and quickly ran out into the cool night air. He could hear Winry calling his name, but, luckily, her voice never got any closer.

When he had run a good distance from the house, he slowed his pace to a walk, allowing himself to catch his breath, as he began to form his next plan of action.

**_Okay…so…he thought to himself, I suppose that I could perform the ritual at the ruins of my old house. That seems like the best idea. Just have to make sure that Winry doesn't come snooping around when I try it. Alright, I should have all the materials I need. I can do it tonight. Is that a wise idea, I mean…slow and steady wins the race…right?_**

Conflicted, Al decided to walk a bit to clear his thoughts. Without thinking, he turned back to walk the way from which he had just come…and ran hard into someone else, sending them both crashing to the ground.

"Ow…" Al whispered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Remembering the other, he quickly stood up and extended a hand down for them to grab. "Sorry about that. I'm usually not that clumsy."

"It's fine," the other spoke softly, gripping Al's hand. Because the figure wore a black cloak over their head, Al could not make out very many details about who stood before him. All he knew now was that the person was a boy who was, roughly, Al's age…and this boy's voice sounded familiar.

"Edward!" Al spoke without thinking.

Al could hear a smirk in the other boy's voice as he replied, "Pretty good. Name's Eric. You seem like a good kid, so why are you out here at this hour of night?"

Al had not thought of an answer to such a question because he had not expected to meet up with anyone. "I was…going to my house or…well…what's left of it." After he had spoken the sentence, he realized how bad his word choice had actually sounded. Within the cover of night, he was certain that the other was laughing (or at least smirking) about his poor choice of words. "What about you?" Al asked, changing the subject, "Why are you out here at this time of night?"

"Simple. Ran away from home," Eric said, matter of factly.

"Why?" Al questioned. The boy in front of him did not seem like a delinquent, but, perhaps, he was blinded because Eric seemed so much like the person from me, info that someone like me should've known about immediately."

Al threw him a questioning look before remembering that the darkness shielded its presence. "What was that information that they kept secret?"

"They neglected to tell me that I'm adopted."

**_I can't believe it_**, Al told himself, **_This has to be Brother_**. Forgetting his original mission, Al, without thinking logically any further, grabbed the other boy's hand. To prevent the action from being any more awkward than it already was, Al spoke, "Allow me to introduce you to some people that I know, then." Without thinking about how he would be welcomed when he returned to Winry's parents' house, Al began to run back the way he had come. He could hear the scoff of the other's boots as he adjusted to the speed at which he was being dragged.

At the speed which Al was running, it did not take him long to return back to the home where he had been living since the fire.

The front light on the porch of the house was on. Apparently, they were still looking to him. No longer did he care about the consequences of his earlier actions; this was much more important.

He ran up the porch and into the house. The sudden sound alerted those in the house and they immediately came to the door. When they saw that the intruder was the very person they had been looking for, their expressions showed how grateful they were that he was safe.

Storming to the front, Winry grabbed Al by the collar and pulled him closer. "How dare you come back here after what you did!" she yelled at the younger boy. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you? I can't believe you came back here. I'm going to kill you for making us all worry!"

"W-Winry, wait," Al spoke, his voice strained slightly from Winry's hold on his collar. "I-I came back because…because I found…someone."

Noticing the other boy behind Al, Winry let go of the latter's collar. "Who is this person, Al?"

Al, rubbing his neck to help him breathe smoothly again, let go of the other boy's wrist so he could walk over to whisper his answer to Winry.

Once Winry had heard Al's whispered answer, her eyes opened wider and she glanced between the two boys before she replied, "Are you sure, Al?"

Al didn't need to think about his answer before nodding.

Immediately, Winry went from tyrannical care keeper to sympathetic care keeper. She walked over to the other boy and asked him, "Are you hungry? We could make you some food if you'd like."

Taken aback by Winry's sudden change of attitude, Eric shied back slightly. "Actually, I'd just like a place to sleep."

"That can be arranged," Winry chirped, apparently overexcited to have a quest. Quickly, she swept from the room to go prepare a bed.

Once Winry had left the room, Eric whispered a question to the other boy, "Is she always like that?"

Al nodded in reply and whispered back, "Sometimes she's worse."

It did not take long for Winry to prepare a guest bed. Once she had finished, she returned to show him to his room.

"You sure it's okay for me to stay? I wasn't exactly invited."

Winry threw a cute smile his way. "Of course it's fine! Make yourself at home!"

After the boy left the room, Winry stormed back up to Alphonse. "I should be more angered at you," she began, tightly gripping the front of the boy's shirt again for a brief moment before releasing her grip and continuing, "but…Al, is this boy really…"

Without hesitation, Al nodded, cutting off Winry by replying, "Yes, I am confident that he is my brother."

* * *

**I know that it's not any longer than my other updates and I'd be surprised if someone who read this story four years ago would be back to read it now. I'll definitely try to better stick to this one and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
